(S01E16) No, that's not a typo. The title of this episode is really a play on Marin Frist.
Well, I liked this episode a heck of a lot more than last week's. I think Marin had a very relatable problem. She couldn't get comfortable with Lynn and kept trying to overcompensate for it, making herself and everyone else uncomfortable in the process. She's one of those girls who wants people to like her and so she goes a little overboard in buying Lynn a really expensive, gigantic stroller for her baby shower. She also buys muffins and coffee for her contractors, who are walking all over her in renovating her home. She learned a good lesson in the end, but it was Lynn who had to force it upon her. She makes a good point: those two may never be comfortable with each other.
I particularly enjoyed the George storyline and I'm curious what the rest of you thought about it. Pretty early in the episode, George tells Buzz and everyone else that he's gay. Buzz is pretty much the only person who is not okay with this. Even the guys in the bar, who had a great conversation with George about how this gay stuff works, were fine with it once they had their questions answered. But Buzz said a few ignorant things, like, suggesting that George wouldn't have turned out gay if Buzz had been around during his childhood. I'm not sure how much longer we're going to see Orlando Jones around as Buzz's gay son, but he was a welcome change from the regular cast. Plus, the writers have opened up yet another love story between Terry and George.
The only storyline I found a bit forced this week was the Jane/Plow Guy one. Jane and Sam have been in a "vacationship" since Thanksgiving and once Jane starts to work while in Elmo, things get a little tense. The only thing is that I didn't really see that much of a difference between Work Jane and Vacation Jane, other than she didn't have as much time. I mean, Jane not having time for a quickie isn't exactly the end of the world. And I think she would've freaked out about the mouse whether she was on vacation or not. In the end, Jane left-- an extreme measure, really-- and now they're both nursing broken hearts. Well, I guess we can't have at least one episode of Men in Trees where one of the couples breaks up because what else would there be to do?
My favorite character in this show is quickly becoming Jane. She has the wittiest lines and the goofiest way of speaking. Some great ones this time were, "When I'm in work mode, I wear work clothes. It gives me an authoritative tone." And, "I don't do etiquette." And her nickname for Marin's homeless carpenter (with whom she will no doubt hook up in future episodes): "Happy Hobo".
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-09-2007 @ 3:44PM
lovelain said...
loved the patrick powerpoint.
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2-09-2007 @ 4:19PM
e said...
I agree, lovelain. That Powerpoint made me laugh quite hard.
And I am so on the Jane train. I love her inflection, her cute glasses, and I was sorry that she left Sam. =(
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2-09-2007 @ 4:45PM
BigTed said...
"Northern Exposure" also had a rural Alaskan radio host with a gay African-American brother. This show has a slightly different premise, but it's still close enough that you'd think they would want to avoid such a close parallel.
Is it me, or has Jane appeared in lingerie in almost every episode? Not that I'm complaining.
Of course almost everyone on TV is good-looking, but the hobo guy seemed much too soap-opera handsome for a "homeless carpenter"... It gives the character kind of a hustler vibe.
On the other hand, Justine Bateman has turned into a regular-looking, not-so-Hollywood-gorgeous woman, which is nice to see once in a while.
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2-09-2007 @ 4:58PM
innamorata said...
Errrrrrrr I didn't enjoy this episode mainly due to ham fisted writing. The scenes were too on the nose, even by this show's standards, for my taste.
Especially the ones with George.
He's a nice character but every scene I felt like I was being slapped over the head: "get IT?" *whack* "GET IT?" *whack*
The dialogue was so trite, URGH!
Points for an out of the closet afro american gay man though.
I still prefer Keith on Six Feet Under but then he's going to be tough to replace in my TV viewer heart.
I was glad to see "Ter" back but I couldn't buy his speeches about wanting his money back and him swooning over George's work.
It was so bad I expected him to pull a Jordan and slip George a note saying "I'm crazy about you".
Wayyyyyyy too out of freaking nowhere for me.
I still can't get over Bateman's non acting. She's just there with her dead eyes and flat delivery, it truly tarnishes my entertainment and makes me resentful. *prays to the TV Gods that she gets off the show for good next episode*
Jane and Sam's break up was too sudden to take it seriously and therefore feel bad for them. I like feeling for them but here ...whatever. *shrugs*
My gripes aside, I am on board the Jane and Sam (individually and as a couple) love train.
Jane is deliciously funny and Sam adorably cute.
I did like the hawk and the mouse thing. Though I'm a girl (take that writers), I'm like Sam: it's a mouse (on a boat in winter season), who cares?
Now if it were a spider..........*shudders*
Patrick's Powerpoint was cute, Mai's hair looked fantastic, and it was great seeing Sara talk with Marin like old times (I have missed their dynamic for a while now) but as a whole this episode was too contrived to be anything else but boring for me.
Grade: 4/10
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2-09-2007 @ 8:49PM
Pamela said...
Mai is just so cute! She is so very likeable, and she always tries to make people feel good about themselves. I like the Jane/Sam thing, and I know they'll get back together, just give it time. I'm really wondering under what story line Lynn will leave the show (you know it's inevitable, taking her baby with her, and Marin and Jack will get together as they should). Patrick and Annie are the cutest couple, and yes, the PowerPoint gesture was great--Elmo version 2.007.
No wonder Marin loves Elmo, she probably has more friends there than she ever had in New York. This show has so many great things going for it, mostly the relationships that we actually care about.
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2-11-2007 @ 9:33AM
Lisa said...
This week's episode was just okay for me. I actually had a big laugh over Patrick's PowerPoint! I was happy to see "Ter" back but think maybe they should have let George meet him on his own terms. Then again, it was kind of funny that Patrick and Annie thought that any gay man would find another gay man attractive at first sight. Helped remind me that "Elmo" IS a small town in a very remote area.
I hope things continue to progress for Buzz and George. I hope that Jane sees that she really needs to be in some kind of "ship" with PlowGuy. That way we'll get more of her snazzy lines!
Lynn still bothers me. I'm trying to remember if she was this "flat" while on that show with Michael J. Fox.
The overall theme of this past show was good. It doesn't always pay to be super nice and not everyone is going to like you or you them. You need to be yourself with everyone, but do remember, "you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar".
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2-11-2007 @ 5:14PM
bc said...
It wasn't my favorite episode but it still had it's good moments. Patrick's PowerPoint (though I had to explain that one to my mother who doesn't have a clue about computers), Annie & Patrick setting up George with Ter, the hawk/mouse thing with Jane & PlowGuy, Mia's dinner party and Cash in the bath tub! Sam & Jane's breakup broke my heart -maybe a little distance will make Jane realize that what they had was more than just a vacationship. Every time I see Jack & Lynn together it makes me cringe. Maybe it would help if we knew more about why she left & why Lynn thinks she should be able to pickup right where they left off or why Jack feels he should but I doubt it. Hopefully having hot 1/2 naked Cash fixing her house will be a nice distraction for Marin and maybe open up Jack's eyes to what he's missing out on.
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2-13-2007 @ 2:25AM
C C said...
I really love this show. I know it's not "supergreat", but there's nothing like it on right now. It's a shame that most tv viewers are immune to its charms.
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2-13-2007 @ 6:12PM
KB said...
I am a fan of MIT thru-and-thru! Jack is my favorite because he reminds me of the biologists I've met and I think he's great-looking. I loved seeing him and Marin together in love, but they make great friends too. And Marin with Stuart was a blast! I wish there could be more of them as a couple, strings or no strings. O'Mara is a great actor and gives Stuart real depth. Cash is good-looking, but come on! Seeing him half-naked in every other scene is a little bit absurd. I mean, why was he shirtless in a tent in the snow?! (And doesn't he have a bit of a lisp?) I'm looking forward to finding out if the guy can act half as well as he can stand around nude.
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